University of Derby ranked in Top 50 in The Guardian’s higher education guide

The University of Derby has been named in the Top 50 of The Guardian University Guide 2015, published yesterday.

Derby’s rise of 29 places – to 50th place in the independent national rankings (out of 116 institutions assessed) this year, from 79th in the Guide’s 2014 edition (published last year) – is the second highest jump in the country.

Many prospective students rely on annual guides published by national newspapers and elsewhere, to decide on where they will study.

Institutions receive an overall score and individual assessments are also given for a whole range of criteria including employability, spend per student, student-staff ratio, individual degree results and student experience. Many of the figures are based wholly or partly on direct student surveys, including the annual National Student Survey (NSS) of final year students in the UK.

In this year’s The Guardian University Guide 2015, Derby’s figures include:

Satisfied with course - 86.5 (percentage of final-year students satisfied with overall quality, based on the National Student Survey);

Satisfied with teaching - 88.5 (percentage of final-year students satisfied with the teaching they received, based on the NSS);

Satisfied with feedback - 76.2 (percentage of final-year students satisfied with feedback and assessment by lecturers, based on the NSS);

Average entry tariff (typical UCAS scores) - 305.8.

Derby’s 2015 Guide ranking puts it ahead of most of its regional ‘benchmark group’ of universities according to The Guardian; including Nottingham Trent University (now in 57th place), Lincoln (65), Sheffield Hallam (73), De Montfort (85) and Staffordshire (90).